CHOICE in the community

At CHOICE, you'd expect our values to be reflected in the workplace. We ensure this is the case through our social impact strategy, which aims to help people in our local community.

Our social impact strategy was first developed in 2016–17 by the Social Impact Committee, a group of committed CHOICE staff members.

Staff consultation identified two key priorities: helping people who were experiencing domestic violence and/or homelessness settle into sustainable accommodation, and improving the quality of the local environment.

CHOICE donates test goods to the Women and Girls' Emergency Centre.

One of our first steps was to develop a partnership with the Women's and Girls' Emergency Centre (WAGEC), a non-profit homelessness service for women and families escaping domestic violence. The main element of this partnership has been the donation of tested goods, which have been used to furnish the Centre's accommodation services and clients' homes.

More than 200 products with a total value of more than $100,000 have been donated so far. These donations have a direct impact on the lives of women and children who have experienced domestic violence and homelessness.

Staff complemented this with $2000-plus in personal donations collected at events during the year. These funds have been well-received, going towards educational programs for children and young people, employment skills training, and therapeutic and wellness activities.

Members of the Social Impact Committee with bags of groceries donated by CHOICE staff for the 2016 Christmas Hamper Drive for WAGEC.

Workplace Giving Program

The CHOICE Workplace Giving program lets employees easily donate money to our selected charities, both of which support those in need at a grassroots level. Employees currently donate to two causes:

WAGEC helps women and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The people they assist often have little or no family or community support. They come from a variety of cultural backgrounds and may have been impacted by issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse.

The Fred Hollows Foundation is a development organisation working in more than 25 countries. It helps train and empower local eye doctors, nurses and health workers to create a sustainable system of care in the communities that need it most. The organisation's purpose is to make sure everyone, whether they're rich or poor, has access to high quality, affordable eye health.

Workplace Volunteering Program

The Social Impact Committee's work to improve the local environment started towards the end of 2017, with the introduction of a workplace volunteering program.

Marrickville Council approved a patch of land along the Cooks River for CHOICE to regenerate in partnership with the Cooks River Valley Association (CRVA). Staff contributed their time once a month to work caring for and restoring this area. The committee also organised a 'Clean Up Marrickville' event. CHOICE has allocated two days per employee per year to volunteer.

Measuring our impact

Recognising that even small contributions can be meaningfully magnified when introduced as workplace initiatives, all staff have the opportunity to contribute however they choose through these giving and volunteering programs. At the end of the 2017 financial year, a staff survey found that 97% of respondents believed CHOICE was making a difference through its social impact activities.